


Troubles

by phoenixnz



Series: Nightwing Chronicles [12]
Category: Smallville
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-27 05:14:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12574476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenixnz/pseuds/phoenixnz
Summary: Lex meets Oliver for the first time since they graduated Excelsior. Lionel puts his plan into motion.





	Troubles

If there was one thing Lex had always hated, it was the parties. Lionel had told him it was a good way of cultivating business contacts. Of course, that was what his father told himself. Lex was sure it was a way for Lionel to hear the gossip from his business rivals so he could figure out who he could either extort money from or who was vulnerable to take over. 

Back when he had been a child, Lex had taken to hiding in coat closets rather than mingling with the guests. He’d been rather shy, made worse by his various health ailments and then the meteor shower taking away his hair. He’d been made to feel like a freak and the stares from his father’s business contacts hadn’t helped matters. 

Now that he was almost twenty-two and working for his father, Lex knew he had no choice but to attend various events. If only to provide a friendly face. 

“Dude, you look bored as hell.” 

Lex grinned at AC. The younger man had been at a bit of a loose end and needed to earn some extra money so Lex had got him a job as a waiter. It wasn’t great money but it was enough. AC had had a few legal troubles after joining a ship protesting whaling near Japan. 

“I hate these things,” he murmured to AC.

“Yeah, I hear ya, man.” He turned his head and frowned at someone beckoning for him. “Duty calls.”

Lex turned away to go and get himself another drink and found his way blocked by someone a few inches taller than him. He looked up at the other man with a frown before his eyes widened. 

“Oliver?”

Oliver Queen smiled at him. “Lex. I thought that was you.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Same thing as you. Bored out of my mind.”

Lex snorted. He’d heard some time ago that Oliver had disappeared right after graduation from Excelsior. There had been something in the newspapers a week or so after his miraculous return from the dead, but other than admitting he’d been on an island for two years, Oliver hadn’t given much information. 

“Well, Oliver Queen.” Lex turned at his father’s voice, hiding a grimace as Lionel’s hand clapped hard on his shoulder. “I heard you had taken over Queen Industries.”

Oliver nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“What brings you to Metropolis?”

“Just a few deals I’m working on,” the blond man said. “It’ll probably take me a few months to close the deal.”

“I see. Well, it’s good seeing you, Oliver. Lex, I have someone I would like to introduce to you.”

Lex rolled his eyes, eliciting a knowing smirk from his former school enemy. He wondered if their old enmity had changed. Oliver certainly seemed less brash and much quieter now.

He allowed himself to be led over to a talk, dark-haired woman. He sighed inwardly. His father was obviously trying to match-make, having never accepted Lex’s sexuality. He only went along with it in the hope that the FBI would soon complete its investigation and have Lionel indicted. 

“Dr Helen Bryce, this is my son, Alexander.”

Dr Bryce smiled at him. She was pretty. Probably a few years older than him, but that didn’t appear to matter to his father.

“Lex, your father’s been telling me you run the Luthorcorp plant in Smallville. I’m about to do my residency there.”

“Residency?”

She nodded. “Smallville Medical Center.”

“Oh, I see. That’s great. The town could certainly use some good doctors.”

“I’ll leave you two to get acquainted,” Lionel murmured, moving away. 

Sighing, Lex figured he might as well go along with it, chatting to Dr Bryce, trying to be friendly without giving her the impression he was interested in her. She was clearly an intelligent and eloquent woman and if he hadn’t preferred men, he might have been interested in her. 

The night dragged on. The only excitement of the evening was when a hooded figure in green leather came in, brandishing a bow and arrow. He stole something from one of the guests and left in a hurry. 

Lex called Bruce as soon as he could get away.

“Green leather, hmm? Okay, I’ll look into it.”

“Thanks, Bruce.” He didn’t say what he wanted to say. They had little time to meet these days. Bruce was busy building up a name for his Batman persona and Lex was still training and working on his own disguise.

Neither of them mentioned the third member of their trio, who had been gone six months. They did occasionally get a postcard from him. It had been a part of the training he was undertaking, apparently, that he would have to study other human cultures to be able to learn more about the humans he’d been sent to guide. Clark was careful not to mention any of that in his missives. 

It was early in the morning by the time he got back to the mansion in Smallville. He had a humdinger of a headache and went to bed as soon as he got home but didn’t sleep well. Raines left a message for him saying Gabe Sullivan had requested his presence at a meeting and despite the late night, he got up early and drove to the plant. 

Gabe wanted to talk about expansion plans and what it could mean to the staff. Lex had to fight to stay awake, his head still pounding. By the time the meeting was over, he was too tired to even consider driving back to the mansion.

Gabe looked at him with concern. “You don’t look well,” he said.

“Late night,” he murmured. “Sorry. I’m …”

The other man shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you to come in. I forgot you had that dinner last night.”

Lex waved his hand. Normally he could cope with only a few hours’ sleep but for some reason he felt exhausted. Gabe offered to get one of the workers to drive him home. Raines could come back with the worker and pick up Lex’s car. 

He had a few missed calls and a voicemail from Helen Bryce, who wanted to get together. He had already tried to make it clear he wasn’t interested at the party but it seemed like she was going to give it a try anyway. Or perhaps Lionel was pushing her into it.

By the weekend, Lex was feeling a little better, although still headachy. He decided to head into town and check out the farmers’ market, hoping to catch the Kents.

Martha smiled in welcome as he stepped up to their stall. “Hello, Lex. How are you?” She frowned. “Sweetie, you don’t look well.”

“It’s just a headache,” he said. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

Jonathan appeared at his side, carrying a bushel of apples. Lex smiled at him. 

“Anything I can do to help, Mr Kent?” 

“Would you help me unload the truck?” the older man said.

“Sure.” He followed Clark’s father to the truck and took a basket. Jonathan frowned at him.

“Martha’s right, son. You look a bit peaked.”

Lex frowned. Why was everyone suddenly asking if he was sick? He never got sick. He might have lost his hair in the meteor shower, but he had gained something too, having never been sick a day in his life since then. 

“Have you heard from Clark?” he asked in a low voice.

“Not since he sent that postcard from Nepal,” Jonathan replied. That had been three weeks ago. “I hope he’s all right.”

“Me too,” Lex murmured.

“How are things going with the investigation?”

Lex had told the couple everything he knew about the FBI investigation, wanting to keep them in the loop in case Lionel tried to involve them in the affair. Especially after what they had told him about finding him in the cornfield after the meteor shower and taking him to the hospital.

“I’m not sure. Bruce is keeping in regular contact with Lieutenant Gordon. I’m guessing the lieutenant will tell him any news.”

“Well, I hope you’re being careful, son,” Jonathan said, clapping him gently on the shoulder. The man’s attitude toward him had changed in the past year, especially after the incident with Earl Jenkins. “If you need us, we’re just a phone call away.”

Lex smiled. “Thank you, sir. That means a lot.”

Bruce called on the cell phone Lex had bought specially to keep in touch with his friend. 

“I thought you’d like to know, the guy in green leather has been spotted in Star City and it looks like he’s moved into Metropolis. From what I’ve managed to find out, he robs certain individuals. But get this. A couple of days later, that individual has made a considerable contribution to a selected charity.”

Lex frowned. “Is he blackmailing them?”

“I don’t know, but several valuable items which were stolen from museums and galleries then apparently sold on the black market in Asia were suddenly returned to their rightful owners. The item stolen the other night was a necklace worth half a million dollars. And it was stolen three years ago from a collector in Prague who had all the documentation saying it had belonged in his family since pre-World War Two.”

“Who is this guy?”

“I don’t know, but steer clear, Lex. You’re not ready for a confrontation with someone like him.”

“I can handle it,” he insisted.

“No, Lex. I mean it. Stay out of this. I’ll take care of Green Arrow. Your focus should be on your father’s activities.”

Lex wanted to argue. He still thought he could handle the Green Arrow. He’d been training fairly consistently and learning new fighting techniques. Maybe he wasn’t as good as Bruce but then his friend had been training since his parents had died. 

Deciding he wasn’t going to wait, he went out that night, telling Raines he was going to a nightclub. He made sure to cover himself by appearing at the club for about an hour before leaving, making sure no one saw him do so.

He donned black clothing and a black mask, finding a spot on top of one of the tallest buildings in Metropolis. Luthorcorp Plaza was taller but he didn’t want to risk being caught, so settled for a position atop another building nearby. 

Green Arrow showed shortly after midnight. As Lex watched, the green-clad archer used a grappling arrow and a zip line to move down to the top of an apartment building which was the home of Simon Westcott. Lex followed him, using his own specially designed equipment to get across the buildings. When Green Arrow emerged from the apartment, having completed his task, Lex was waiting for him.

The other man looked stunned. “What is this? Neighbourhood Watch?”

“Something like that,” Lex replied, using a voice modulator. He could tell the other man was using the same thing. 

“What are you planning on doing? You gonna steal it back?”

Lex held up his hands, making it look like he was harmless. “I won’t do anything unless you put back what you stole.”

“Newsflash, buddy. You’re on the wrong side.”

“That depends on your point of view.” Lex quickly dodged and twisted in the air as the archer fired an arrow at him. The other man looked surprised at Lex’s quick reflexes but fired another arrow, forcing Lex to evade it once more. By the time he looked back, the Green Arrow had gone. 

“Damn!” he said to himself.

He decided to do a little research into the thefts and found a connection. Every theft reported to the police had been a client of Safetex Security, which was a division of Luthorcorp. 

“Oh, this just gets better and better,” he said to himself. He called Bruce with the information.

“I already know,” his friend told him. “What the hell were you thinking, Lex? You could have got yourself killed!”

“But I didn’t,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. Ever since he’d confronted Green Arrow, he’d been feeling a little neck strain. The headache he’d had for days still wasn’t going away either. 

Bruce sighed. “I guess I can’t stop you from doing this. God, you’re a stubborn prick, you know that?”

“Yeah, yeah, love you too.”

“Look, just be careful. I think Lionel may have something the Green Arrow will be after. The list from Safetex Securities includes a necklace he bought off a Bosnian warlord about a year ago.” Lex wanted to ask how Bruce had found out that little tidbit of information but he knew never to second-guess his friend. Bruce had a way of digging up things that people wanted buried. It was safer not to ask.

“What would he want with a necklace?”

“Beats me. He was probably laundering dirty money. Keep an eye on things. I’ve got a feeling the Green Arrow’s going to make a move on Luthorcorp.”

“Will do. Thanks Bruce.”

“Be careful,” Bruce repeated. “I mean it, Lex.”

Lex told his father he had meetings in Metropolis and needed to stay at the penthouse at the top of Luthorcorp Plaza. Lionel accepted the excuse without objection. 

He set himself up with a computer to piggy back off the company surveillance, hoping Green Arrow would turn up. If the archer took out the power in the building, it would send an alert to Lex’s computer. 

After two nights, it happened. Lex immediately made a beeline for the office ten floors below, figuring with the power out his exit would go unnoticed by security. Green Arrow was breaking into the vault but turned at the sound of Lex’s entry.

“You again,” he said. 

“I’m warning you now. Steal that necklace and we’ll come after you.”

“We? Who’s we?”

“That’s for me to know. I know why you’re doing it,” he said. 

“Well, congratulations. I still don’t think you can stop me.”

“We’ll see about that.” Lex attacked the other man before he could fire an arrow. The archer blocked his attack and attempted to shove him across the room. Lex twisted and got under the taller man, trying to manoeuvre himself into a stronger position as Bruce had taught him. His mask caught on the leather of the other man’s glove and slipped off. He fell on his ass, blinking up at the archer, who hesitated, staring down at him. For a moment, Lex felt a little disconcerted, inwardly berating himself for getting caught. 

Green Arrow turned and left the same way he came in, just as the power was restored. Lex hurriedly grabbed his mask, hoping security hadn’t spotted him and ran out, following the other man’s trail. 

He eventually returned to the penthouse, hoping the security team hadn’t managed to identify him. 

The next morning he was woken by his father’s entry.

“Lex!”

He rolled over in the bed, blinking up at Lionel. “What is it?”

“Are you aware there was a break-in in my office last night? Two intruders.”

“A break-in?” he asked hoarsely, trying to sound confused.

“A very valuable item was stolen, son.”

“So, why are you asking me? I was here all night.”

Lionel looked him over. Lex had a habit of sleeping naked but the way the older man was looking at him made him want to pull the bedclothes up tight. 

“Of course, son. I apologise for waking you.”

“I hope you find whoever broke in,” he said. 

“Indeed. And they will be very sorry when I do find them. Get some rest, son. You look like hell. Perhaps you should consider curbing your, uh, social activities.”

Lex gave up on the idea of pursuing Green Arrow. For now. The constant migraines and the neck pain were just the beginnings of his troubles. He wasn’t sleeping well, waking up from nightmares he couldn’t remember and dreams where his baby brother was a teenager and accusing him of letting him die. He would wake up screaming, or find himself out on the mansion’s balcony, about to fall over the side. 

Then came the day he thought he saw a gunman breaking into the mansion. He picked up the phone, intending to call either Bruce or the Kents but the line was dead. He ran for it, managing to grab his car keys. He drove at speed away from the mansion. As he drove along the highway toward the Kent farm, a car came speeding from behind. The car hit his, forcing him off the road. Lex’s head hit the steering wheel and he passed out. 

When he woke up, he found himself in lockdown in Smallville Medical Center and Helen Bryce was standing over him.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“You’ve had what we call a psychotic episode, Lex.”

“What? That’s not possible.”

Helen looked down at a chart, then back up at him. “The police found you passed out in your car. You were ranting about someone breaking into your home and a car running you off the road. They had you tested for alcohol and drugs but there was nothing in your system. The sheriff said he spoke to some of your staff and they said you’d been yelling out in your sleep.”

He frowned at her. “I still don’t …”

“No one broke into the mansion, Lex. And no one tried to drive you off the road. Your psychiatrist thinks you were hallucinating.”

She went on to tell him that everyone had noticed his odd behaviour and a psychotic break was the only explanation. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. 

Lionel appeared in the doorway, looking grieved. “I’ve been worried about you for some time, son. I’ve been avoiding this, but now I’m afraid there is no option. I’m admitting you to a psychiatric hospital.”

Lex wasn’t crazy. He tried to tell the doctor that, struggling against the straps holding him down. Lionel leaned over him. “It pains me to do this, son.”

“Go to hell, you son of a bitch!” Lex screamed. Yet as much as he tried to fight it, it was no use. Within hours he was on his way to Belle Reve.


End file.
